Rotary dampers, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,341 have been used to dampen movement in a variety of applications from automobile suspensions to motorcycle steering. These dampers typically operate by having chambers in a sealed body containing a viscous fluid; concentric with that body is a shaft with radially disposed sealed vanes protruding into and dividing each chamber. Damping is effected through rotation of the shaft connected to the vanes which forces the viscous fluid through restricting orifices of various designs and locations in the body. Most damper designs have been complex and bulky with many intricate parts to maintain or fail.